Election manipulation accusations and violent incidents cast a shadow over Georgia's voting process
During Georgia's national election, the population cast their votes on the nation's overall direction, with polls indicating a strong possibility of the pro-European opposition ousting the Russia-aligned ruling party. However, reports of unscrupulous activities surfaced during the voting process.
As per the opposition leader, Salome Surabishvili, aggressive incidents occurred at various polling stations. Online platforms were flooded with videos documenting these confrontations.
Contrarily, the Central Election Commission, overseen by international observers, declared the election process peaceful. Nevertheless, certain incidents were reported by independent observers and amplified on the internet, such as the Union of Young Lawyers pointing out "significant electoral violations."
Efforts at manipulation were also alleged, as revealed by official announcements. For instance, a man in Marneuli, a small town in southeastern Georgia, reportedly tossed ballots into a polling station, causing the votes there to be suspended, as reported by the Central Election Commission to Interpressnews. Subsequently, the results from that polling station were disregarded.
Finger-pointing ensued between the opposition and the government, with each side accusing the other. Tina Bokuchava, leader of the UNM, the largest opposition party, accused the ruling party, Georgian Dream, of orchestrating a provocation, claiming the opposition would have won in that constituency.
"A Georgian Dream member has been identified as the provoker, but he has not been arrested by the police yet," Bokuchava stated. Opposingly, a Georgian Dream representative alleged the man was paid by the opposition to commit the provocation and subsequently declare the election illegal. However, the election commission has yet to confirm the man's identity. The Ministry of Internal Affairs initiated a criminal investigation, but no arrests have been announced.
Additionally, the opposition parties shared footage of blocked ballot boxes in the southeastern village of Sadachlo and accused Bidzina Ivanishvili's supporters, a powerful billionaire backing the pro-Russian ruling party, Georgian Dream, of obstructing the election process and resorting to any means to retain power.
On the other hand, a prominent representative of the ruling party, Mamuka Mdinaradze, branded the allegations as a "provocation" staged by the opposition, while the election commission invalidated the votes cast in Sadachlo's constituency.
The pro-Western opposition alliance is backed by several parties, whereas the ruling party, Georgian Dream, is leaning towards Russia. Contesting polls, the pro-European opposition enjoys a promising chance of defeating the Moscow-aligned ruling party. However, progress towards EU membership has stalled due to a series of recently passed restrictive laws.
The European Union expresses concern over the reported electoral irregularities during Georgia's national election, as the bloc has previously expressed its support for democratic processes in the country. Despite the Central Election Commission declaring the election process peaceful, the pro-European opposition and independent observers have raised concerns about significant electoral violations.
